Manufacturers and distributors face significant challenges in managing order processing due to manual data entry, leading to errors, inefficiencies, and revenue losses. These issues are more than just operational hurdles; they directly impact customer satisfaction, employee productivity, and overall revenue.
Sanifu.ai, developed by Patika Technology Limited, is an innovative AI-powered system designed to tackle these challenges by automating the extraction and entry of order details from various formats, including emails, PDFs, and Handwritten notes, into ERP systems, ensuring unparalleled accuracy and speed and drastically reducing the time and errors associated with manual data entry.
Sanifu, a product of Patika technology, says this proces allows businesses to focus more on core operations and enhancing customer service.
Patika Technology founded by Sidney Rema, Phelix Juma and Bernard Momanyi, was accepted into the prestigious Y Combinator Incubator programme in 2022 to help manufacturers and distributors solve missed or delayed orders, manual entry delays, late-night orders, sales returns and high clerical costs among others.
According to the team, these inefficiencies result in poor customer experience, loss of trust, and missed sales and revenue. Manual order processing also consumes valuable time, which could be better spent on customer relations and strategic tasks while increased operational costs and limited scalability due to the need for more clerks.
Sanifu’s key features include AI-Powered Automation that accurately extracts order details from multiple formats: PDF, email bodies, handwritten notes and images, Excels and allows for ERPs, Email and WhatsApp Integrations for seamless use.
Already the platform is used by Kenchic Limited and Capwell Industries which have seen their order processing time drop from 5-10 minutes to under 30 seconds per order, significantly increasing productivity, lowering sales returns and missed sales and 11 other major local manufacturers which are currently running live pilots.
Sanifu is targeting 180,000 manufacturers and distributors across Africa, representing a significant market opportunity of $2.5B+. The goal is to help these businesses optimize their order processing, reduce errors, and increase efficiency, ultimately driving growth and profitability.
“Sanifu was developed to address the critical challenges manufacturers and distributors face in managing order processing. The inspiration came from the need to eliminate manual data entry errors, inefficiencies, and revenue losses,” Rema Co-Founder & CEO at Patika said. “Sanifu is also thoroughly personalized to the workflows of manufacturers and distributors in Africa making it a plug and play solution.”
Sanifu says it stands out due to its AI-powered ability to read emails and Whatsapp messages while extracting customer orders, and ability to flawlessly transfer this data into ERP systems 24/7 with minimal human input. It also offers seamless ERP integration and supports multiple data formats, including emails, PDFs, and handwritten notes.
The co-founders have extensive experience in AI solutions and enterprise sales. They previously ran a software consulting company deploying AI solutions for top retailers in East Africa. Bernard, previously ran a sales agency that handled distribution for manufacturers in East Africa, closing over 15 enterprise deals in two years.
At the moment, Sanifu aims to expand its customer base, scale operations across Africa, and continue enhancing the product to meet the evolving needs of manufacturers and distributors. Building on its first product, Patika, which is a mobile application helping small businesses track and collect debts efficiently, Sanifu leverages advanced AI to automate complex processes in order processing in manufacturers and distributors.
“Through our work with Patika, we recognized a significant opportunity to address a larger market need within the manufacturing and distribution sectors. Sanifu builds on the strengths of Patika, leveraging advanced AI to provide a more targeted and effective solution for order processing. This pivot showcases our ability to adapt and innovate in response to market demands, ultimately strengthening our position and expanding our impact,” said Juma, Co-Founder & CTO at Patika, adding that Patika will continue to operate, supporting over 15,000 registered businesses.